Iran defiant as Trump poised to make nuclear deal decision

08 May, 2018 17:44:00

US President Donald Trump is poised to announce on Tuesday his decision whether to withdraw or stay in the Iran nuclear deal, as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran "will overcome" any "problems" it could face in the coming months.

In a social media post late on Monday, Trump said he will make an announcement at 18:00GMT on Tuesday on the future of the 2015 agreement.

In response to Trump's announcement, Rouhani told reporters in Tehran on Tuesday that "it is possible that we could face some problems in the coming two to three months, but we will overcome this".

Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani also said on Tuesday that the decision by Trump will only serve to unite the country to walk "on the path of the Islamic Revolution fully behind the leadership of the Supreme Leader".

Zein Basrawi, reporting from Tehran, said leaders in Iran are "well aware that at this stage, the fate of the nuclear deal is out of their hands".

He said that Rouhani administration, which supported the deal from beginning of the negotiation, is now in "damage-control" mode.

"There's a lot of the defiant tone that you are hearing."

Earlier on Monday, Rouhani had said that the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), would be "even better" without the participation of the US.

Rouhani also said that Iran is willing to stay in the deal with Europe, Russia and China, if its "expectations" are met.

"The US, from the very start, has been trying to curb Iran's power, and today, whether they stay in the JCPOA or pull out, they are still after the same thing," he said.

US' allies in Europe have also been trying to convince Trump to preserve the international agreement, which has limited Iran's nuclear capabilities.

Regardless of Trump's decision, the other parties to the Iran deal said they will not abadon it.